This invention relates to a solar module with an outer pane facing the solar radiation after installation, consisting of clear transparent material, such as silicate glass, a carrier panel located at a distance from the outer pane, consisting of at least partially transparent material, and a solar energy conversion device located between the outer pane and the carrier panel, a process for production of such a solar module, where an outer pane and a carrier panel are combined by interposing a solar energy conversion device, in particular an array of solar cells embedded in a plastic layer, to form a composite module, as well as the use of such a solar module.
In the case of solar modules of the generic type, as described for example in DE-OS 29 42 328 or EP-OS 0 382 060, the problem consists, as previously set forth in German Patent Application P 40 29 822.1, of the fact that on account of the relatively thick or wide connecting leads and conductors for the individually connected solar cells, frequently produced by silk screen printing, the external appearance does not meet the aesthetic and in particular architectural requirements imposed, preferably when used as a curtain wall element. It has already been proposed, e.g. in EP- 0 343 628 and in the above cited Patent Application P 40 29 822.1, to reduce the impairment of the overall aesthetic impression of the solar module due to the conductor structure, but also due to the technical details of the solar cell itself, which are perceptible through the transparent outer pane, by providing a painted color coating at least in some areas or by using a colored or matted interlayer. EP- 0 343 628 teaches in this connection a printed edge coating which is able to conceal the connecting lead arrangement at the edge of the solar module.
The known attempts to improve the aesthetic impression of solar modules of the generic type have all had the disadvantage that this always involves a significant reduction in electrical output, because a printed coating on partial areas as well as matting or opalizing of the outer pane facing the incidence of light reduces the light transmission. A reduction in electrical output is of course wholly undesirable in the case of solar modules.